For tour & activity operators

Compiled by Stephanie Kutschera

Designed by Barbra Silva
Foreword
For tour and activity operators, it can be challenging to find current
travel trends and statistics without having to look at hundreds of articles
across the web. At TrekkSoft, we know how valuable travel statistics can
be to operators, so every six months we do all the research for you.

Each December we release the highly anticipated annual travel trends

report, filled with survey results and expert opinion, and then in July we
publish our travel statistics list, an update of what has changed and
what to expect in the year ahead.

So here you go! Below are 65 travel and tourism statistics to know in
2019/20, and the insights we've been talking about most here at
TrekkSoft’s HQ. We hope that these statistics help your company get the
most from the year ahead and gives you a taste of what to expect in our
2020 Travel Trends Report.

This report includes:

1. Booking Trends
2. Travel Trends
3. Destination Insights
4. Tour & Activity Industry Insights
5. Travel Technology
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Booking Trends
Sustainability is driving accommodation decisions
According to the Booking.com sustainability travel report, “over half
(55%) of global travellers report being more determined to make
sustainable travel choices than they were a year ago, but barriers include
a lack of knowledge and available or appealing options when trying to
put this into practice.” (Booking.com 2019)

These sustainable decisions include accommodation. “73% of global

travellers intending to stay at least once in an eco-friendly or green
accommodation when looking at the year ahead.” (Booking.com 2019)

“Additionally, 70% of global travellers say they would be more likely to

book an accommodation knowing it was eco-friendly, whether they were
looking for a sustainable stay or not.” (Booking.com 2019)

Even homeware companies are getting involved

Speaking of accommodation decisions, a number of homeware
companies have began launching their own hotels in a smart move to
sell more products. “MADE.com kick-started the trend - it launched its
first MADE hotel in Manhattan’s NoMad district two years ago, followed
by floating boutique hotel the Boathouse in London in summer 2018.”
(CN Traveller 2019)

Flight routes are expanding due to demand

Destination routes are expanding to give new generations unlimited
reach. “We are millennials and we are looking to have different travel
experiences than our parents,” Patrick Quayle vice president for
international planning at United Airlines said. “As a result of that, the
network has to evolve and look different.” The airline has recently added
Cape Town to it’s route roster. (Skift 2019)
Stopover destinations during long haul flights used to be an unwanted
part of the journey. In 2019, airlines now offer a low cost option to
lengthen your stop over time, so that travellers can explore the
destination. “Longtime stopover providers include Icelandair, Hawaiian,
Emirates, and TAP. And recently, new programs from Brussels Airlines
and Swiss add even more great options to the list of stopover
possibilities.” (CN Traveller 2019)

There’s more data on how travellers book their trips

51% of US travellers said that once they decided to go on a trip, they
would spend less than one week conducting research. (Facebook IQ)

Google data found that hotels and flights are booked in advance of 12
weeks. Within the 3 months prior to the trip date, the search increases
further for experiences. (Google 2019)

We examined three random data points between August and September,

the busiest months for tour and activity operators in Europe and found
that Monday is the most popular day for people to book their trips while
Saturdays are the least busy days for bookings. (TrekkSoft 2019)

Bookings made slowly drops from Monday and plateaus between

Wednesday to Friday before dropping dramatically on Saturday. Bookings
pick up again on Sunday and take off again on Monday. (TrekkSoft 2019)

10am CET is the time of day when most bookings are made, and 6am CET
is when there are the least. (TrekkSoft 2019)
In 2018, the proportion of direct website bookings fell to 66.7% while
marketplace bookings increased to 9.1%. Bookings made through agents,
affiliates and local tourist offices also increased from 17.5% to 24.3% in
the same time frame. (TrekkSoft 2019)

Booking.com research also revealed some interesting differences

between the types of travellers. “We found that travellers who book their
activities ahead of their trip spend 47% more on lodging and 81% more
on transportation than those who wait to book in destination, making
them a valuable audience, especially for companies like online travel
agencies that sell across multiple categories.” (Booking.com 2019)

We’ll talk more about in-destination bookings further in our tours &
activity insights chapter, but it’s worth mentioning that “near me”
searches on Google Maps grew 150% over the past year showing that
locals and travellers alike are using the search engine. (Skift 2019)
Travel Trends
Never-ending family holidays are on the up
Family travelling has always been a staple to the annual program, but
now family sabbaticals are taking over influenced by the likes of
@thebucketlistfamily, @byjetpack and @travelling_family.

“Given that by 2020 it’s estimated that roughly half the UK and American
workforce will be freelance and that 40 per cent more children were
being home-schooled in 2017 than in 2014 (48,000 in total), it’s no
surprise that parents will be embracing the freedom this gives.” (CN
Traveller 2019)

Generation Alpha are driving travel decisions

“Gen Alpha, which refers to those born after 2010, is showing more
signs of influencing family travel decisions and planning than previously
thought, according to Expedia Group Media Solutions.” (Short Term
Rentalz 2019)

“On average globally, travellers with Gen Alphas are taking more than
three family trips a year.” (Expedia Group 2019)

“For family travellers, 95% said their priority was keeping their families
entertained and happy, while deals and value (89%), outdoor activities
(85%) and planning travel around school holidays (85%) or near major
attractions or theme parts (85%) were also of utmost importance.”
(Short Term Rentalz 2019)

And convenience is driving the travel decisions. “Plane and car are
preferred modes of transport for family travel.” 52% of surveyors
selected their mode of transport by the fatest option, and 34% selected
based on the lowest cost. (Expedia Group 2019)
And travel fulfilment doesn’t just apply to families
Personal fulfillment sees travellers making their destination choice
based on their own development. “Over half (56%) of global travellers
agree traveling has taught them invaluable life skills, and 2019 will see a
rise in people’s desire to learn something new whilst away, as well as an
increase in volunteering and skills-based vacations across generations.”
(Booking.com 2019)

Solo Travel is becoming more sociable

Co-living apartments are being introduced that allow solo travellers to
meet like-minded individuals on their trip. “One of the co-living leaders,
WeLive (sister company to WeWork), now has apartment complexes with
trendy shared social spaces, events programmes, yoga classes and even
hot tubs in New York and Crystal City. People can stay for a few days or a
few months.” (CN Traveller 2019)

Dublin Airport claimed of it’s 31.5m estimated passengers in 2018, 57%

were solo travellers. Gráinne Morrison, futurist at the Dublin Airport
Future Factory shared this stat as he presented a project opportunity to
come up with an idea on how to revolutionise the solo traveller
experience at the airport. (Silicone Republic 2019)

According to data from Solo Traveler, which is commandeered by Janice

Waugh and Tracey Nesbitt, the number of solo travellers is growing. For
example, subscribers to their newsletter for solo travellers grew from
33,000 this time last year to over 50,000 at time of press. (Travel
Marketing Report 2019)

What can we expect from Solo Travel in 2020? According to The New
Indian Express “We will see more travel companies going for the
millennial travel segment as it explodes with more younger travellers
than ever before. We could also start seeing companies go for the Gen Z
audience who are just entering the age of independent travel.” (The New
Indian Express 2019)
Destination Insights
Traveller destinations have changed
Top destinations in 2019 are predicted to be The Turkish Riviera, Egypt,
The Peloponnese (Greece), Matera (Italy), Perth (Western Australia), The
Scottish Highlands, St Barths (Caribbean), Arles (France), Valle de
Guadalupe and New Orleans. (CN Traveller 2019)

TV shows have increasingly brought travellers to destinations, but in

2019 we will see this grow even further. “Game of Thrones fans got a treat
in Las Vegas last month with a twice-nightly fountain show at the Bellagio
(watch it here). And GOT filming locations like Northern Ireland and
Croatia have seen surges of visitors seeking a real-life peek at the show’s
incredible backdrops.” (CN Traveller 2019)

And China outbound travel continues to grow

“Chinese tourism is ‘FIT’ and healthy,” says ForwardKeys vice president
insights, Olivier Ponti, summing up the latest travel trends. ForwardKeys’
analysis of outbound tourism in the first four months of this year reveals
that independent (FIT) travel grew by 12.7%. “It reflects growing
confidence in doing one’s own thing”, particularly in the case of younger
and more experienced travellers,” Ponti points out. (TTR Weekly 2019)
The trends were particularly marked during the Chinese New Year, at
the end of January and early February, which is the busiest time for
Chinese outbound travel, accounting for around three-quarters of total
international air departures during the first three months of 2019. (TTR
Weekly 2019)

Overtourism is reaching breaking point

“International-tourist arrivals around the world have gone from a little
less than 70 million as of 1960 to 1.4 billion today.” (The Atlantic 2019)

Last year international tourist arrivals worldwide reached 1.4 billion, two
years ahead of schedule according to the UN World Tourism
Organisation. France, the world's most popular country, is expecting a
record 100 million visitors a year by 2020 and destinations from Rome
to Reykjavik, Goa to the Galapagos and Boracay to Bali are straining
under the weight of too many tourists. (Stuff 2019)

Overtourism is finally being addressed due to extreme measures. In

2019, the Louvre Museum in Paris that was shut down for a day when
workers walked out due to overtourism. Union representatives say
renovation work around the “Mona Lisa,” the museum’s most famous
painting, had led to organisational problems, huge queues, and the
harassment of staff by frustrated tourists. (Skift 2019)

And the effects of Brexit are showing

EasyJet issued a Brexit warning in May 2019 after they posted a loss
before tax of £272m in its half-year results, compared to a loss of £68m
the same time last year. “Brexit increased fuel costs and the Gatwick
drone incident which caused the carrier to lose millions between
October and March are to blame.” (Express 2019)

British Airways’ owner International Airlines Group was in agreement

with the hit of increased fuel costs. “Its fuel bill is forecast to have
rocketed by around €250m between January to March, compared with
the same period last year.” But, BA chief executive Willie Walsh said
British Airways “don’t see any Brexit impact going forwards.” (Telegraph
2019)
Especially for UK outbound travel
“When we asked British residents if they were planning a domestic
holiday, or had already stayed at a UK holiday destination in 2019…
According to data from our survey, the on-going confusion surrounding
Brexit is prompting around one in 10 people to plan a British holiday,
instead of travelling to Europe.” (Cabin Bookers 2019)

Savvas Perdios, the deputy minister of tourism in Cyprus shared that

there was a “drop by 6.9% in March” of British arrivals in March 2019.
“As it stands, Britain remains the vital market for the tourist trade,
delivering 38% of all overseas visitors and over 20% of all foreign
tourism revenue.” (Cyprus Mail 2019)

“Fewer Europeans are now visiting the UK and according to tourism

agency ‘Visit Britain’; overseas arrivals were down 5.3% last year, while a
similar pattern has been observed in the first few months of 2019.”
(Albawaba Business 2019)

Yet, this may just be the short-term impact of uncertainty. In January

2019, “the national media picked up on a government warning to
travellers to check passports are sufficiently up to date for EU travel if
there is no deal. The Express reported “3.5m passports could be
INVALID after Brexit.” (Travel Weekly 2019)

Climate change increases destination popularity

As part of a survey to UK residents, “75% of the people we surveyed
expressed that they were concerned about climate change. One in
seven people also said they chose UK holidays as they are more
environmentally friendly.” (Cabin Bookers 2019)

And as flight shaming is growing, more travellers are staying local. The
Swedish-born “anti-flying” movement has grown and is moving to more
destinations. “One flight-boycotting British attorney, who formerly loved
to travel, told Reuters, “It’s a tough pill to swallow, but when you look at
the issues around climate change, then the sacrifice all of a sudden
becomes small.” (Forbes 2019)
Tour & Activity Insights

Phocuswright has predicted that by next year, the overall tours and
activities segment will grow to $183 billion. (Phocuswright 2019)

Arival - the in-destination event - shared that not only is the tours &
activities sector now the third largest sector in travel, it’s the most
memorable part of travel and the area with the most opportunity.

Finding an experience is happening in-destination

In June 2017, the EU removed data roaming charges to EU destinations.
For countries further afield, most telecommunication companies opted
for a daily charge to use your own calls, messages and data. The
change has proven to increase the usage of mobile in-destination.

“Nine out of 10 [travellers] now have apps to make their life easier
when at their destination with maps, airlines, weather and social media
topping the list of favorites.” (Travelport 2018)

Greenberg analyzed over a thousand travellers’ online behavior and

found that searches for activities are happening across devices in the
three months prior to a trip, but shift significantly to 54% mobile when
travellers are in-destination. (Google 2019)

(Google 2019)
Travellers are closer than you think
“The final untapped opportunity is to capture a greater share of the
traveler’s wallet, even when they aren’t traveling. In fact, mobile searches
for “things to do/activities” + “near me” have seen a 6X increase over the
last two years.”(Google 2019)

So, operators need to be online to be seen

“The travel experience after the flight and hotel booking step is broken,”
says Welcome Pickups co-founder and CEO Alex Trimis. “The
in-destination vertical is a multi-billion dollar opportunity that remains
fragmented and offline.” (TechCrunch 2019)

“During a survey with over 700 operators, 35.4% said that they are not
accepting bookings on their website. That’s a huge number! If someone
is unable to book on your website, that opens the opportunity for them
to quickly look elsewhere.” (TrekkSoft 2019)

Online Travel Agents see this as a big opportunity

In May 2019, GetYourGuide raised $484 million in its Series E funding.
Johannes Reck, CEO and co-founder said; “GetYourGuide is already
global, so for us, it’s about expanding our global coverage and
broadening our inventory rather than tackling any one destination. That
said, now that we’ve established ourselves as the clear market leader in
Europe, Asia and the United States are our next big targets. We’ll be
adding products and staff and acquiring customers at a rapid pace.”
(TechDaily 2019)

In April 2019, Klook announced it has raised $225 million” in April 2019,
adding to their previous funding round of $200 million in Autumn 2018.
“The new funding will help Klook expand its roster of tours and activities
to new places and spaces and continue to expand in its existing Asian
markets. The growth is perfectly timed to help Klook carve out an even
bigger niche in the Japanese tourist market in advance of the 2020
Summer Olympics in Tokyo, where an estimated 40 million smartphone
wielding visitors will descend upon the city hungry for tours and fun.”
(FastCompany 2019)
Experiences are the best part of travel for everyone
“When it comes to family travel experience beats expense.” (Expedia
Group 2019)

“Airbnb recently announced that they are partnering with the biotech
firm,23andMe, to give heritage travel recommendations into their
customers. Market research showed that “heritage travel” is on the rise.
An April study commissioned by Airbnb, which included 8,000
participants from eight countries, found that more than 50% of
Americans have traveled to at least one country of their ancestry. As
have 89% of Indian people and 69% of French people.” (Forbes 2019)

Other survey results included that “57% of of survey respondents in the

United States would give up alcohol for a year for a free heritage trip.”
(Airbnb 2019)

“83% of people in Argentina said they considered heritage trips more

valuable than a normal vacation.” (Airbnb 2019)

"Forget what you thought about millennials traveling on a shoestring,"

said Karen Fuller, senior director of global market research at Vrbo. "Our
results revealed that they are actually the most likely to go into debt for
travel, which is consistent with the notion that millennials like to
accumulate experiences, not things." (Travel Pulse 2019)
Travel Technology

Mobile is our technology leader for 2019

62.9% of the population own a smartphone and on average spend
between 3.5 to 5 hours using it daily. (TrekkSoft 2019)

On average, adults (16+) look at their mobile phone every 12 minutes,

they check it within 5 minutes of waking up and 78% say they can’t live
without it and never switch it off, thus defining the mobile-first
customer. (World Ticket Solutions 2019)

Customers are comfortable researching, booking and planning their

entire trip to a new travel destination on a mobile device. Top
consumer markets displaying this trend include India who came out
top with 87%, Brazil (67%), Japan (59%), South Korea (53%), US (48%),
Australia & United Kingdom (45%) and France (44%). (Google 2018)

Mobile devices also lead to a greater propensity to book at the

last-minute. Google Data shows that travel-related searches for
“tonight” and “today” have grown over 150% on mobile, over the past
two years.(Google 2018)

From TrekkSoft data, the proportion of mobile bookings increased

between 2017 and 2018, from 51.5% to 56.7%. In 2018, revenue from
desktop bookings fell from 73.2% to 65.8%. (TrekkSoft 2019)

You can now rent a car - and unlock it - with just your phone. “Making
the car rental experience more pleasant requires making cars available
where business travellers actually are, along with allowing them to
digitally customize their ride.” (Skift 2019)
And the booking journey is continuing to evolve
62% of Generation Z and millennial consumers want visual search over
any other new technology. (World Ticket Solutions 2019)

Search intent has redefined the customer marketing journey from what
we’d expect. “Today, people are no longer following a linear path from
awareness to consideration to purchase. They are narrowing and
broadening their consideration set in unique and unpredictable
moments.” (Google 2019)

“Amazon wants to be a superapp, the mobile tool of choice to book

flights, buy books, and make payments. In travel, flights are only the
beginning.” “Customers are already using Amazon beyond shopping,”
said Shariq Plasticwala, director of Amazon Pay. “They love the
convenience we offer of shopping and paying — all in one single app.”
“Plasticwala said Amazon is delighted to partner with Cleartrip, which is
powering the flight-booking services, available with cash-back discounts
for all customers, and additional ones for Amazon Prime members, in
the Amazon mobile app and on its website.” (Skift 2019)

In the past year we’ve seen growth, consolidation, interesting turns and
big developments in both the tourism and experience sector. We are
intrigued to see what will be the new norm for travel in the future.

Stephanie Kutschera
Head of Marketing
The #1 booking solution for tour and
activity operators worldwide

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